1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera control system which is suitably used in, e.g., a monitor camera or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A large number of cameras and computers for controlling these cameras may be arranged in a building or the like to form a network, thereby making it possible to transmit a video image between arbitrary points in the network. For example, the present applicant has proposed such a network or system including, a camera control system to be used in a television conference system, a remote monitor system, or the like.
In such a camera control system, a photographing direction and zoom magnification of a camera at an arbitrary remote location may be remote-operated from a control location or another arbitrary location in the network, and a video signal from the camera may be received through the network, so that a pick-up image of the camera can be displayed at various locations in the network.
In the camera control system described above, as the number of cameras to be operated increases, the positions where the cameras are installed must be easily identifiable.
Therefore, the present applicant has proposed a network or scheme that displays camera icons serving as indexes indicating the positions of the cameras superposed on a plurality of maps.
However, in the above camera control system, since the camera icons superposed on the maps always are displayed to indicate the positions where the cameras are set, all users who access the system can see the arrangement of the cameras.
More specifically, in a conventional camera control system, since all the users can see the locations of all of the camera icons superposed on the maps, even those icons that are not relevant to all users, they can see the positions of all the installed cameras and remote-operate these cameras.
In the future, as these systems are designed with a larger number of cameras installed at various positions, and these cameras variously are used by more people, security aspects become important considerations.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to construct a camera control system which is easily operated and provides excellent security, where unnecessary information can be prevented from leaking to unauthorized persons.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to control the at least one camera, the system comprising: map display means for displaying a map; index display means for displaying superposed on a map displayed by the map display means at least one index respectively indicating a position of the at least one camera on the map displayed by the map display means; camera authorization setting means for setting an authorization state of a camera, the authorization state indicating that the camera is authorized to be displayed as an index corresponding to the camera on a map displayed by the map display means; and first index display inhibition means for inhibiting the index display means from displaying an index corresponding to a camera other than a camera having an authorization state set by the camera authorization setting means which authorizes the camera to be displayed as an index on the map displayed by the display means.
According to another aspect, there is provided a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to control the at least one camera, the system comprising: map display means for displaying a map; camera authorization setting means for setting an authorization state of a camera, the authorization state indicating that the camera is authorized to perform information communication between the camera and the system; and index display means for displaying superposed on a map displayed on the map display means at least one index, each index indicating a respective one of the at least one camera, an index corresponding to a camera having a positive authorization state set by the camera authorization setting means being displayed different from an index corresponding to a camera not having a positive authorization state.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to control the at least one camera, the system comprising: map storage means for storing at least one type of map for indicating a location of the at least one camera; map authorization setting means for setting an authorization state of a map, the authorization state indicating whether the map is authorized to be displayed; list display means for displaying in a list a map having an authorization state set by the map authorization setting means authorizing display of the map, and for selecting a map displayed by the list display means; and map display means for displaying a map selected by the list display means.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to control the at least one camera, the system comprising: map storage means for storing at least one map for indicating a location of the at least one camera; map authorization setting means for setting an authorization state of a map, the authorization state indicating whether a map is authorized to be displayed; list display means for displaying in a list the at least one map stored in the map storage means, and for selecting a map displayed in a list by the list display means; map display means for displaying a map selected from the list display means; and map display inhibition means for inhibiting the map display means from displaying a map having an authorization state set by the map authorization setting means that does not authorize display of the map at the map display means.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a method of controlling a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to control the at least one camera, the method comprising: displaying a map for indicating a location of the at least one camera on the map; displaying superposed on a map displayed in the map display step at least one index for respectively indicating a position of the at least one camera on the map displayed in the map display step; setting an authorization state of a camera, the authorization state indicating whether the camera is authorized to be displayed as an index corresponding to the camera on a map displayed in the map display step; and inhibiting the superposed display on a map to be displayed in the map displaying step of an index corresponding to a camera other than a camera having an authorization state set in the camera authorization setting step which authorizes the camera to be displayed as an index on the map displayed in the map displaying step.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a method of controlling a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to control the at least one camera, the method comprising: displaying a map for indicating a location of the at least one camera; setting a camera authorization state of a camera, the authorization state indicating that the camera is authorized to perform information communication between the camera and the system; and displaying superposed on a map displayed in the map displaying step at least one index, each index indicating a respective one of the at least one camera, an index corresponding to a camera having a positive authorization state set in the camera setting step being different from an index corresponding to a camera having a positive authorization state.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a method of controlling a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to control the at least one camera, the method comprising: storing at least one map for indicating a location of the at least one camera; setting an authorization state of the at least one map, the authorization state indicating whether the at least one map is authorized to be displayed; displaying in a list the at least one map having an authorization state set in the map authorization setting step, and selecting a map from the list; and displaying a map selected from the list display step.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a method of controlling a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to control the at least one camera, the method comprising: storing at least one map for indicating a location of the at least one camera; setting an authorization state of a map, the authorization state indicating whether the map is authorized to be displayed in the map storing step; displaying in a list the at least one map stored in the map storing step, and selecting a map from the list; displaying a map selected in the list displaying step; and inhibiting the map displaying step when a map other than a map having an authorization state set in the map authorization setting step is selected in the list displaying step.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a video communication terminal for a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to make it possible to control the camera, comprising: map display means for displaying a map for indicating a position where the at least one camera is located; index display means for displaying an index for indicating the position of the at least one camera such that the index overlaps the map displayed by the map display means; reception means for receiving information related to a camera authorized to perform information communication from the at least one camera; and index display inhibition means for inhibiting an index corresponding to a camera other than the camera authorized to perform information communication from being displayed on the basis of the information related to the camera and received by the reception means.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a video communication terminal for a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to make it possible to control the camera, comprising: map display means for displaying a map for indicating a position where the at least one camera is located; reception means for receiving information related to a camera authorized to perform information communication from the at least one camera; and index display means for displaying an index corresponding to the camera authorized to perform information communication as an index different from an index corresponding to another camera.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a video communication terminal for a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to make it possible to control the camera, comprising: first reception means for receiving information related to a map authorized to be displayed from at least one type of map; list display means for displaying a map as a list on the basis of the information related to the map received by the first reception means; and map display means for displaying a map selected from the list display means.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a video communication terminal for a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to make it possible to control the camera, comprising: first reception means for receiving information related to a map authorized to be displayed from at least one type of map; list display means for displaying a map as a list; map display means for displaying a map selected from the list display means; and map display inhibition means for inhibiting a map from being displayed by the map display means when a map other than a map authorized to be displayed from the list display means.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a storage media in which a program for executing an operation process of a video communication terminal for a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to make it possible to control the camera is stored, executing the processes of: displaying a map for indicating a position where the at least one camera is located; displaying an index for indicating the position of the at least one camera such that the index overlaps the map displayed by map display means; receiving information related to a camera authorized to display the index corresponding to the camera from the at least one camera; and inhibiting an index corresponding to a camera other than the camera authorized to display the index corresponding to the camera from being displayed on the basis of the information related to the camera and received by reception means.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a storage media in which a program for executing an operation process of a video communication terminal for a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to make it possible to control the camera is stored, executing the processes of: displaying a map for indicating a position where the at least one camera is located; receiving information related to a camera authorized to perform information communication from the at least one camera; and displaying an index corresponding to the camera authorized to perform information communication as an index different from an index corresponding to another camera.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a storage media in which a program for executing an operation process of a video communication terminal for a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to make it possible to control the camera is stored, executing the processes of: receiving information related to a map authorized to be displayed from at least one type of map; displaying a map as a list on the basis of the information related to a received map; and displaying a map selected from the map displayed as a list.
According to still another aspect, there is provided a storage media in which a program for executing an operation process of a video communication terminal for a camera control system for supplying a control command to at least one camera to make it possible to control the camera is stored, executing the processes of: receiving information related to a map authorized to be displayed from at least one type of map; displaying a map as a list; displaying a map selected from the map displayed as a list; and inhibiting the map from being displayed when a map other than the map authorized to be displayed.
Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent according to the following specification and drawings.